No. 2 Bulldogs Finish Third at Atlantic Coast Championships

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The No. 2 Yale coed sailing team finished its fall dinghy season this weekend by placing third at the Atlantic Coast Championship hosted by College of Charleston.

The best teams from the entire Atlantic coast convened in Charleston, S.C. for a weekend of racing in both FJs and 420s. Because of strong currents throughout the weekend, racing took place on Crab Bank instead of directly in the Cooper River.

Saturday began with glassy waters, but after a short wind delay a light easterly filled in and nine races were sailed in each division. Sailing close to the shore, volatile winds made it so there was no consistent tactical pattern for racing, forcing sailors to keep their heads out of the boats and constantly adapt to changing breeze and switching current.

Sunday morning saw a similar wind delay, with another even lighter easterly filling in so that five more races could be completed. The Bulldogs struggled with starts and downwind speed, but in the tricky conditions every team was having tough races and staying resilient was necessary for success. Going into the final B division race, Yale just edged out the home team College of Charleston and the New England champions Dartmouth to place third overall in the event.

While these individual results may not have been up to par with the Bulldogs performance at intersectionals this season, it is a testament to Yale's depth that a sixth and seventh-place divisional finish led to a third-place finish overall. The team was able to take away a lot of lessons about sailing in a deeply competitive fleet this weekend, which they look to carry forward into the spring season.

Next weekend, the match racing team will travel to St. Peterburg, Fla. to compete in the ICSA Match Racing National Championship and finish off the fall season.